The Heart of the Western Civilization
by Wernher von Braun
Summary: When Christianity grew in Europe, it was thought that various mythologies would loose their strength, power, and prestige. To some, it may be true, but not them. For they are the progenitors of heroes. For they are immortalized in the cultures of mortals. For they have their descendants leave their marks in history. For they...are the Heart of the Western Civilization.
1. The Long Game

**The Long Game**

 **Winter Solstice, 4** **th** **Century**

 **Olympus**

Inside the Hall of Thrones of the Olympians, the major gods of the Greco-Roman Pantheon were sitting on their respective thrones. However, they weren't the only occupants in the Hall. There was Hades, the God of the Dead and Wealth. It was natural for him to be in Olympus during the Winter Solstice since during that time, the ancient, evil magic was at its strongest. Thus, Hades was there to help his siblings and other relatives in dealing with the problems.

That was not the only reason he was there though.

Besides him, there were also minor gods of the Greco-Roman Pantheon as well. There were Hebe, the Goddess of Youth, Hecate, the Goddess of Magic, Witchcraft, and Crossroads, Iris, the Goddess of the Rainbow, and many more other minor gods and goddesses.

It was a very rare event for minor gods to be involved, to the point that the number of such an event happening can be counted by one hand. As such, whatever caused this to happened must've been something that was very important.

On his throne, Zeus, the King of the Gods, looked at the mostly bickering Olympians with only few of them stay silent. There was Demeter "lecturing" Hades on how he should be a better husband for Persephone, which caused the Lord of Underworld to looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. Then there was Artemis telling Apollo to stop flirting with her Hunters, who didn't listen and seemed to be more focused on his latest poem. There was also Athena and Poseidon having oral combat with each other, likely related to Athens or the Gorgons.

The entire hall went silent when the fire of the hearth in the room blazed upwards, nearly touching the ceiling. The occupants in the hall turned their attention to the eight-year-old girl near the hearth. She was Hestia, the Goddess of the Hearth, Home, and Family.

"My family, please be silent. The meeting is about to begin." Said Hestia calmly.

After saying that, Hestia looked at his brother, Zeus. He nodded his head in thanks and stood up from his throne, intending to officially begin of what could be the most important meeting in history of Olympus.

"With this, I, the Great King of the Gods, Zeus, shall begin this meeting that will decide the future of all of us!" Declared Zeus with a deep voice.

"As all of you know, a new religion has arisen in the land of the Roman Empire. A religion called Christianity, created by a Jew called Jesus Christ, who had been crucified more than three hundred years ago."

Zeus stopped talking for a while to let the words that he had spoke to be absorbed by other gods. So that they knew how precarious the situation was.

"Apollo, tell them about one of your prophecies!"

With that, Zeus sat down back to his throne. Few moments after that, Apollo, the God of Archery, Art, Music, Poetry, and Prophecy, stood up from his throne. His face no longer showed any playful mood that he had when he was bickering with Artemis.

"Thank you, Lord Zeus." Said Apollo first. "When I see into the future, I am unable to tell anyone future events, except through my Oracles, as then the information would become meaningless. However, I managed to see _one_ future that is important enough that I can tell them without my Oracles."

This got the attentions of the gods in the room. For a prophecy to be so different from others that Apollo can informed it without speaking through his Oracles? What kind of prophecy was that?

" _Tell the king; the fair wrought house has fallen_

 _No shelter has Apollo, nor sacred laurel leaves_

 _The fountains are now silent; the voice is stilled._

 _It is finished._ "

As Apollo took a seat on his throne, murmurs began to fill the hall. Not just among minor gods, but also the Olympians. No shelter has Apollo? Fountains were silent? Voice was stilled?

Finished?

Did that prophecy spoke about their incoming doom?

"Silence!" Stated Zeus sternly. "I know what all of you are thinking. Does the end of us imminent? I am sure it is not necessary to say the answer of the question."

"Huh, leave it to the mortals to forgot everything that we have did for them." Commented Ares, the God of War and Violence.

"Is it, brother?" Said Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and Strategy. "Do I have to remind you how short the memory span of the mortals is? It is a miracle that they managed to survive to this day."

Athena turned her attention to her half-sister, Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt.

"Artemis, how many men that peeked on you bathing despite the tale of Actaeon?" Asked Athena.

"He was not the first and the last." Replied Artemis as she grumbled.

She couldn't understand why the men decided to peek on her was a good idea. Did they have a death wish or something? At least there was that boy Sipriotes who begged for mercy when he realized his mistake.

Athena nodded her head and looked at her uncle, Hades.

"Lord Hades, do you remember Theseus and Pirithous?" Asked Athena.

"Oh, please! Don't remind me about them! They are so stupid that calling them fools would be an insult to all fool!" Said Hades as he facepalmed.

The Lord of the Underworld still could not believe that there were mortals that had the gals to tried to take Persephone away from him. He, Hades, one of the Big Three, the most powerful gods of all Olympus, and they decided that taking his wife was a _good idea?!_ He was so shocked by that that the actual event was not of him being enraged but rather having his jaws wide-opened.

At least Persephone gained a good laugh from that.

"As all of you know, mortals require constant reminder that messing with us should be the last thing in their list of wishes. In fact, it should never be in their wish at all." Said Athena. "And yet, didn't we decided to no longer involve ourselves with the affairs of mortals after the Trojan War?"

The hall fell into silence after Athena reminded them about that fact. It was true that after the Trojan War, the gods decided to not be involved with the affairs of the mortals. While there were still demigods after the war and many of them have tales worthy to be inscribed in history, all of them didn't involve things like interacting the gods. At most they involved received a blessing or curse from the gods.

"What my daughter, Athena, has said, is right. Our decision to not interfering with the affairs of mortals has backfired. Without constant reminder of what will happen to those who defy us, the mortals start believe that we are powerless and flock themselves to the new religion of Christianity." Said Zeus.

"So, what will you do, dear husband?" Asked Hera, the Queen of Olympus. "Should we involve ourselves with their affairs once again and strike fear into their hearts?"

"No. In fact, let them join Christianity. By Hades – no offense, brother – let _all of them_ become Christians."

This caused Zeus to received a stare from his wife. Not only her however, but all everyone in the room stared at the King of the Gods with a surprised expression.

"Father…?" Said Athena, rather unsure with what she had just heard.

"If we decide to invoke our wrath towards the mortals, they will believe that it's merely a test from their god and things will go better if they stay patient and loyal to him. Just like what Christian did during the Crisis of the Third Century. If we show ourselves for them, they will believe us as spawns of devil." Explained Zeus. "By this point, the rise of Christianity is irreversible."

"So…what? Are we going to just let this happen?" Asked Apollo.

"That, we do not. We require no worshipper to survive. And thus, we can be more than what they thought about us." Replied Zeus.

Seeing the confused faces among the gods, Zeus decided to explain what he had in mind.

"We are the lords and ladies of many dominions; sky, sea, underworld, family, home, agriculture, wisdom, art, war, wilderness, civilization, and more. The children that we have with mortals left their marks in history; Achilles, Heracles, Perseus, Daedalus, Hippolyta, Lityerses, and more."

There were murmurs of agreement among the gods. While there were demigods that some of them didn't like, like Hera and Heracles, they (very) begrudgingly agreed that even the demigods that they didn't like did deeds that were worthy to be remembered.

"And that is what we are going to use." Declared Zeus. "We might no longer has mortals worshipping us. We might no longer receive tributes from them. But venerated we will remain."

Realization started to dawned upon the gods. They started to look at each other.

"When people speak about heroes, they will tell the tales of our children. When they look at the constellations in the sky, they will be remembered about our tales." Said Zeus. "However, I believe that, perhaps what will be the most important is that Christianity itself will be influenced by us. That even their respected figures will be demigods, our children. Common mortals might not realize this, but those of the Church will."

"Lord Zeus, the last one sounds to be…very ambitious. You sure that can be done?" Asked Athena.

"I am sure about that, Athena. Do you know when Christmas happens?" Asked Zeus back.

"25 December." Athena was rather confused with the question.

"And what is Christmas?"

"Celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ."

"Good. Now, when is the date of Saturnalia?" Upon saying Saturnalia, Zeus and other gods temporarily turned into their Roman aspect before returning to their Greek aspect.

"17 – 23 December." Athena's voice was that of displeasure. Not because of Saturnalia, but the fact that she temporarily changed into Minerva, which she didn't like to put it simply.

"Do you find it funny how close Christmas is with Saturnalia?"

"I do not. Considering his birth was close to Saturnalia, it makes sense that the celebration of his birthday by Christians is close to Saturnalia."

"Ah, but that's the thing. Jesus was not born anywhere during winter."

"…what?"

It was not only Athena who was surprised. Other gods started to pay more attention to the conversation between the father and the daughter as well.

"I have asked Helios and Selene about whether they once saw Jesus as a baby. They had once. They also told me that there were shepherds in the field watching their flocks." Said Zeus. "And guess what? The holy book of the Christians also said the same thing. Luke 2:7-8 if I am not wrong."

"But that doesn't make any sense! Why do you celebrate the birthday of someone who is very important in your religion? The clues suggested that at the very least, Jesus was born during the transition between fall and winter." Said Athena before her eyes widened. "Unless…"

"They make Christmas close to Saturnalia so that the recent converts would feel…homey, since in their minds, they could just replace Saturnalia with Christmas." Finished Zeus.

More murmurs occurred among the gods. Some of them looked amused on how despite wanting to replace them with their own sole god, the Christians decided to absorb some of the cultures related to the pagans. In the end, Christians and pagans weren't that much different.

" _So much for claiming to be better than us._ " That was the most common thought among the gods.

Zeus smiled at the sight. He knew that his plan would take a very long time to come to fruition. But he also knew that in the end, it would be worth it.

* * *

 **Two millennia later…**

 **January 01, 2001**

 **Olympus, New York City**

In the feast hall of Olympus, the Olympians were sitting at their respective chairs, celebrating the New Year. The feast hall looked like something you saw in a palace of Enlightenment-era Western Europe. Made sense since the gods decided to made it like that when Olympus was at Paris.

In his seat, wearing his best tuxedo, Zeus looked at the celebrating Olympians with a smile. They were still bickering as usual, just like how it was during the ancient time. However, they were in a more powerful position than ever. All of those centuries having children, all of those centuries interacting with chosen mortals, all of those centuries giving blessings without tributes in return, had finally paid off.

The Greco-Roman Pantheon is now the Heart of the Western Civilization.

* * *

 **And the prologue is done.**

 **For those wondering how the** _ **DxD**_ **Greek Mythology becomes as powerful as the** _ **Percy Jackson**_ **Greek Mythology, don't worry. There will be explanation for that.**

 **If you have question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.**

 **Review please!**


	2. Not Really Monotheistic

**Not Really Monotheistic**

 **San Gimignano, Italy**

During twilight, at the countryside of Italy, a group of exorcists was scouring around the place. Few days ago, a local priest reported a sighting of a strange creature which was followed by the discovery of several dead bodies. After that, the Vatican relayed the message to the nearest exorcist base and tasked them to investigate the report.

However, when they arrived, they found out that the priest had joined the victims. Since he was the only one in the church when he gave the report and was killed before he could spread the news to other priests and nuns, the exorcists basically had to start from square one.

"So, remind me again, why do we bring one of Excaliburs with us, despite the fact that this is a simple monster extermination mission?" Asked one of the exorcists.

"Because I am not experienced with the sword." Replied blue-haired exorcist. "I might be able to wield it. But it doesn't mean much if I can't be skillful with it."

It was true. While the fragments of Excalibur can only be wielded by people with certain characteristics, like other weapons, one had to use them constantly to be able to unleash the swords' greatest potential.

The exorcist with an Excalibur, Xenovia Quarta, had only be able to even wield the sword a week ago and was pretty much a newbie with it. She needed to train herself while using Excalibur and what better way to do that than field experience?

There was also the fact that in case she got killed in this mission, her partners could prevent Excalibur from falling into the wrong hands. As unlikely as it was, Xenovia still remembered that one time when she almost lost her life in what was supposed to be an easy mission.

Her thought was interrupted when an exorcist at the rearmost screamed. Xenovia and other exorcists immediately went towards their weapons and turned around. Xenovia was not the only one who carried a special weapon; three exorcists in the team of twelve also carried one as well.

Unfortunately, the screaming exorcist was one of the carriers.

When they looked at him, they saw the exorcist was being dragged by a really large dog. The dog then threw the poor person and made him hit a tree. The dog turned its attention towards the still-standing exorcists.

"Hellhound!" Shouted one of the exorcists.

Without warning, Xenovia immediately ran towards the hellhound, intending on finishing the monster as soon as possible. When she tried to slammed Excalibur Destruction on it, the hellhound jumped back. It was about to pounded on her when a shot hit the right side of its face. It looked right and saw an exorcist pumping a shotgun. The hellhound ran towards the shooter, just in time to avoid another attack from the blue-haired exorcist. The exorcist with shotgun ran away from the monster and letting two others to fight it.

"Hey, err…you sure this is a good idea?" Asked one of the two as she nervously stare at her light sword.

"Well, it's not like we have more celestial bronze available." Replied her partner.

The two exorcists fought against the hellhound with the standard light-based weapons. While they were effective against beings such as stray devils and vampires, they were near useless against Greco-Roman monsters.

Despite their attacks merely angering the creature, the two exorcists managed to avoid retaliations from it. Xenovia and two more exorcists ran towards them, with the rest taking care of the wounded or making sure there was no other threat.

When the three of them almost arrived, the hellhound immediately dug in. However, it didn't dig the ground, but rather a shadow of a tree on it. Seeing that, the two exorcists who were attacking the hellhound started to attack it more ferociously. The hellhound whimpered in pain, yet it remained digging as it knew that the attacks weren't a danger for the hellhound.

Xenovia jumped and intended to bashed the hellhound with Excalibur Destruction. However, it managed to escape into the shadow and the holy sword hit the ground instead, sending shockwave that caused the four exorcists near her to fell.

"Real smooth, Xenovia." Commented one of them with sarcasm. "Real smooth."

The four of them stood up and now the exorcists were looking around nervously. The sun almost sank on the horizon and night almost came. They didn't need more shadow that can be used by the hellhound to ambush them.

When they heard a sound of something moving among the bushes, the exorcists drew their attentions towards the source. Cautiously, two exorcists – one of them armed with celestial bronze weapon – slowly approached the bushes. When something came out from there, they almost struck it until they saw that it was merely a squirrel. They relaxed and let out a sigh of relief before becoming cautious again.

Suddenly, there was a sound of a dog barking. Judging from the loudness, it was very likely that it was from the hellhound. The exorcists ran towards the source of the barking which changed into a whimper. When they arrived at the location, they saw that the hellhound was lying on the ground and disintegrating as it was surrounded by a group of people.

"Identify yourself!" Stated Xenovia as she pointed Excalibur Destruction at them.

When the group turned their attention towards the blue-haired exorcist, her and others noticed that they were wearing Roman-era armors. They had the famous gladius in their hands to accompanied their shields. One of them approached the exorcists as she removed her helmet. When she took of her helmet, the exorcists could see her face clearly and were surprised.

"You…!"

* * *

 **The next day…**

 **The Vatican City**

With the Vatican only possessing an area of 44 hectares, and there were areas opened to the public, one would think that there would be minimum supernatural-related activities in the City. Well, not counting the prayers, the Pope looking at the latest reports of important missions, and things that can be disguised as normal activities.

It was incorrect. If one look at one of the restricted areas, one could witness a spar between a Roman legionnaire and a Pontifical Swiss Guard. There was also the fact that the map of Vatican was slightly wrong; there were several areas purposely not being put on the map. And that's not getting into the more supernatural covering.

Back to the spar, it was clear that the legionnaire and the guard were on an even ground. The halberd wielded by the guard gave him a range advantage compared to the gladius and shield combination of the legionnaire. On the other hand, those combination can be used to pass through the minimum range of the halberd and put the guard at a massive disadvantage. Namely, being unable to retaliate.

The legionnaire and the guard moved sideways, making a circle as they kept their eyes on each other. The latter raised his halberd and struck the former, who raised his shield in defense. The guard withdrew his weapon and the legionnaire decided to moved forward. The guard tried to stab him, but the legionnaire dodged the attack and decided to do the same attack with his gladius. The guard jumped back to avoid it. But when he did, he managed to trip himself and fell.

Seeing the opportunity, the legionnaire quickly put himself above the downed guard and put the tip of his gladius on the chest armor of his opponent. After a while, seeing that the guard was still holding the pain, the legionnaire dropped his weapons and checked the guard's foot.

"Well, looks like you sprained your feet." Informed the legionnaire as he held the sprained feet.

"Just my luck." Commented the guard.

"So, draw?"

"…yeah, let's just call it a draw."

Several minutes later, the guard was carried into the infirmary while the legionnaire joined with his fellows. They gave him a towel and a bottle of water. On the other side of the sparring area, the watching Pontifical Guards and exorcists started to disperse, with only few remaining.

"Enjoying the spar?"

Xenovia, who was one of the spectators, looked at the speaker and saw that it was her legal guardian and mentor, Griselda Quarta.

"Ah, Griselda!" Said Xenovia as she immediately stood straight.

"Calm down. No need to panic." Said Griselda calmly.

Xenovia tried to do so but found it difficult. The time when she managed to make her made left an…impact on her.

"Come on, now. This won't be the first time that you're not tense when talking to me." Said Griselda.

"I-I know. It's just…that…you know…my latest mission…" Said Xenovia nervously.

"Oh, that? Don't worry. You're still new with Excalibur Destruction, so I did have expectation of you…not being too successful with it."

"I…see…" While she was relieved that her mentor wasn't dissatisfied, it still hurt that Griselda actually expect her to fail.

The conversation between them was stopped when Xenovia's stomach grumbled. She blushed a little as Griselda let out a giggle.

"Let's continue this after a lunch." Suggested the older exorcist.

"Yeah…let's…"

* * *

 **Half an hour later…**

Inside a cafeteria, Xenovia silently munched on her food while also observing the legionnaires who were eating several tables away from her. Her eyes though were focused at a certain brunette female with bun hairstyle. Her armors looked to be of better qualities compared to other legionnaires.

"It's not polite to stare at people, Xenovia." Said Griselda with a stern voice.

"Sorry." Said Xenovia immediately. "It's just that…"

"I know. Not everyday a former top exorcist come to the Vatican and being affiliated with another faction."

The subject of their conversation was the female legionnaire that was being stared at by Xenovia. That female was Antoinette Pétain, one of two centurions of the Second Cohort of Camp Ravenna.

And just as what Griselda said, Centurion Pétain was a former exorcist of the Roman Catholic Church.

Several years ago, Antoinette Pétain was a rising star among the exorcists of the Church. A natural wielder of "true" Holy Sword and had the honor of being trained by the legendary Vasco Strada himself, she possessed an impressive track record and it was thought that she would be a legendary exorcist. Wouldn't be as strong as Dulio Gesualdo of course, but she would still be a force to be reckoned with.

That was, until suddenly, out of nowhere, she was exiled from the Church. It was a shock to almost everyone in the Church. When asked about her exile, those who gave the punishment only said that Pétain "dug forbidden knowledge." Shortly after her exile, she disappeared and no one knows what happened to her.

Until now.

Yesterday, Pétain helped Xenovia and her team in eliminating a hellhound while leading the legionnaires of the Second Cohort for a…training through Italy. Recognizing the centurion as the former famous exorcist, the leader of the exorcist team asked Pétain on whether she could give an explanation on her disappearance, in which she agreed. They were going to Rome anyway.

At the Vatican, Pétain told the Church the events that transpired after her disappearance. She went to Camp Ravenna. It turned out that Pétain is the daughter of Mars, the Roman God of War. At the camp, she went through the legion training and managed to become a centurion of the Second Cohort.

As for Camp Ravenna itself, little was known about it. The Church knew that it was a protection and training center of Roman demigods in Europe, but that was it. There were a lot of rumors surrounding the place.

Some said that Camp Ravenna was one of three Roman demigod camps, with two others being Camp Caesar and Camp Gemina. Some said that Camp Ravenna, Caesar, and Gemina were one and the same and the three names was to confused other factions. And there were some who said that Camp Ravenna was merely a meeting place, with the training itself being carried out in the United States, the center of the Western Civilization.

As expected, Pétain did nothing to clear up the rumors.

And then there was the Greek demigods to think about. All in all, the Church knew little about the camps of the Greco-Roman demigods.

"You don't look happy with her being here." Stated Griselda.

"Of course not. Centurion Pétain turned her back from the God and joined the Pagans. While I know that she was exiled rather than resigned, she could avoid it by not looking at forbidden knowledge. The Church forbids some knowledge for good reasons." Said Xenovia in return.

"Well, at least it isn't because she's a demigod."

"A son of Athena managed to become a Pope. That means they can choose to be a faithful Christian. That's why I don't _like_ Centurion Pétain."

Xenovia turned her attention back to Pétain when she heard her suddenly speaking in Latin. The centurion seemed to be delivering some sort of speech, which received a cheer from the legionnaires.

"Xenovia." Once again, the blue-haired exorcist's attention was taken from the Second Cohort. "After this, meet me at the usual place."

"Ah, yes, ma'am."

* * *

 **Several hours later…**

 **London, United Kingdom**

Inside a two-story house so common among the neighborhood, a family of three was currently having dinner. The daughter, Irina Shidou, almost finished her meals when a phone suddenly rang. The mother and her looked at the only male, who was blushing as he took his phone out. He excused himself before accepting the call.

"So, Irina, I heard that you are chosen as a wielder of an Excalibur?" Asked the mother, Kelly Shidou.

"That's right, Mom! Thanks to my devotion, God has deemed me worthy to wield one of the Holy Swords under His name!" Answered Irina excitedly, causing her mother to giggle.

"Ah, sorry about that." Said Touji Shidou, who had just finished the call. "It's from work. It seems that I will have to leave earlier."

"Oh, dear. Is there nothing that you can do?" Asked Kelly, rather worried.

"I am afraid not, my love." Replied Touji. "Oh, how I wish to spend more time with my family."

"It's OK, Dad. I understand. I am sure that in the end, the Lord will give us a nicer family time in return." Said Irina, though her voice contained sadness.

"I always like your optimism, Irina." Said Touji as he rubbed his daughter's head. "Before I go, there's something that I want to give to you. A gift, so to say, for being chosen as a wielder of the Holy Excalibur."

Touji took a hairclip from his pocket and gave it to Irina, who looked at it curiously. She wasn't exactly fond of wearing an accessory. So, for her father to gave her one was rather odd.

However, Irina soon noticed that there was something strange with the hairclip. There seemed to be a part that was out of place. She rubbed said part with her thumb. Suddenly, the hairclip changed into a backsword. Irina almost dropped the sword but managed to prevent that from happening. She inspected the sword and realized the material used to make the blade.

"Celestial bronze." Said Irina with a mix of fascination and grimace. Fascinated by the design and grimaced by the origin.

"Yes, celestial bronze. A weapon that marked the hardship and the changing of time." Said Touji with a sense of nostalgia.

Irina knew what her father was talking about. It was a story that he had told her several times.

During the Second World War, many exorcists around Europe were conscripted by the warring nations of Europe or volunteered for the armed forces and temporarily resigned. Those who weren't involved in the fighting were still affected by the war. Many experienced German exorcists were killed by Allied bombing campaigns.

The weapon-producing facilities of the Church were also hit, especially in territory controlled by the Axis and later the Soviets. The Axis destroyed them due to believing them to be resistance weapon factories and the Soviets did the same to prevent an uprising from the local populace.

After the war, with so many exorcists killed and their facilities destroyed, the Church found itself unable to effectively and efficiently fight against the supernatural threats in Europe. The Angels of Heaven were still recovering from the Great War and thus there wasn't much that they could do.

Enter the Greco-Roman Pantheon.

The Pantheon, who had moved to the United States and building their power there, offered a support in term of manpower and weapons. The demigods would help the remaining exorcists fighting the threats and the celestial bronze weapons, which were more effective than the light-based weapons owned by the Church, were given in a large number.

Of course, those supports came with a price.

Irina pushed what appeared to be a button on the backsword and it returned to its hairclip form.

"Thanks for the gift, Dad. It might be a Pagan weapon, but since I am using it, that means it will serve a greater purpose." Said Irina.

Touji let out a small laugh as he gave a kiss on Irina's check before doing the same to his wife.

"You still have a lot to learn, Irina." Said Touji.

The brunette couldn't help but looked at her father confusedly as the man walked towards the door.

* * *

 **Answers to some reviews:**

 **Toaneo07 Ver2.0:** I will be using the _Percy Jackson_ version.

 **CRUDEN:** There will be other characters beside the gods.

* * *

 **And this chapter is done.**

 **If you have question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.**

 **Review please!**


	3. No Crisis Wasted

**No Crisis Wasted**

 **Gremory Mansion, Japan**

Inside the living room of the mansion, Rias watched as the two newest members of her peerage – Issei Hyoudou and Asia Argento – were given a lesson about the common knowledge of the supernatural world. Though it was actually more for Issei since Asia already quite knowledgeable about the Angels and the Fallen Angels, like knowing the name of their leaders.

While she only had limited times to train her peerage for the upcoming Rating Game against Raiser's peerage, that didn't mean she would abandon their education. Plus, this way their rest time was not completely wasted on not doing anything.

"Umm, President?" Said Issei suddenly as he raised his hand. "There's something that intrigued me."

"Hmm? What is it, Issei?" Asked Rias with a small smile.

"Well, we are devils and there are angels and fallen angels and the three of us exist in the Bible, right?"

"Indeed."

"So, does that mean Hindu, Buddha, mythologies like Greek and Egyptian, are they not real?"

"Ah." Realization came into Rias. "That's wrong, Issei. Other mythologies exist as well. In fact, depending on which Bible that you used, Christianity recognized their existence."

"Depend? How many Bible that exist?"

"Well, calling them different type of Bible is actually incorrect." Said Asia. "There are Old Testament and New Testament. The latter is consisted of four Gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. There are also different translations. Like…"

Asia soon realized that she was being stared by everyone in the room. She started to let out a nervous laugh and scratched her head.

"Sorry. I got distracted." Said Asia.

"It's fine." Said Rias as she giggled. "Anyway, putting that aside, yes, Issei, other mythologies exist as well. Since there are a lot of them, I believe it's best if at the moment, you only learn about the three of them; Greek, Egyptian, and Shinto."

Rias gave a nod to Akeno, who seemed to be preparing the board for something. After a while, the board was now clean from previous writing and there were stacks of papers near it.

"Alright, Issei. How much do you know about the Shinto mythology?" Asked Rias.

"Ah, this one I am well-informed. I know about Izanami and Izanagi, then about Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu, and Susanoo. I also know about the Youkai…"

"Good job, Issei." Rias rubbed her Pawn's head, causing him to blush a little. "Well, with that mind, I think we should only discuss about the most recent events regarding the Shinto Pantheon."

Rias and Issei diverted their attention towards the board, where Akeno had placed several papers. Some of them were black-and-white photos and judging from the clothing some of the people in those photos wore, they were taken somewhere around mid-20th century.

"Now, this discussion will involve a rather…sensitive time period. Around the time of the Second World War." Said Rias.

"Oh, don't worry about it, President. I know we, the Japanese, were basically a bunch of jackasses back then." Said Issei almost nonchalantly.

Rias blinked several times before focusing her eyes on Issei. The rest of the peerage, with the exception of Asia, did the same thing.

"Huh, that's…surprising." Commented Yuuto. "Japanese tend to be rather defensive about what their ancestors did during the war."

"Well, no matter how you spin it, conquering other countries, killing the locals, and stealing their resources are not what good guys would do." Explained Issei. "I know ancestors should be respected. But you don't do it by not admitting their mistakes and learning from them."

Rias' confused face soon turned into a smile and she started to giggle a little. Her Pawn, Issei Hyoudou, might be such a pervert to the point that she tried to make him…calmer with a special tea - which failed because Koneko was the one who drank it instead – but he was a good man at heart. If someone did something wrong, he would point it out even if it was someone that he held dear.

"You're a person with a good heart, Senpai." Said Koneko.

"Koneko…did you…did you just praised me?" Asked Issei shocked.

"You're the worst pervert I have ever known." Koneko's sour face turned into a small smile. "But credit where its due."

Issei nervously scratched his head while having a rather awkward smile. Koneko has been punching him so often due to his…behaviors that the simple fact of receiving a praise from her was…quite awkward to be honest.

"Shall we continue?" Asked Rias, catching the attention of her peerage.

"Yes, President."

"Good." Rias walked towards the board to helped her explanation. "First thing to note is that the mythology reflects the culture of society and the culture of society reflects the mythology. One of the most obvious example is how the Greek and Roman Pantheon are one and the same, creating the Greco-Roman Pantheon."

"That's right. Isn't Greek and Roman gods only have different name? Like Zeus and Jupiter are the same god?" Stated Issei.

"Not completely right. It's true that Zeus and Jupiter are the same god, but they have different behaviors. Compared to his Greek counterpart, Jupiter is more militaristic, which reflects how the Romans were more militaristic than the Greeks."

"Same thing actually happened to the Shinto Pantheon." Said Akeno. "While the Japanese culture did already quite militaristic with the history of Shogun and Samurai, the militarism prior and during WWII made Japan even more militaristic…and as you know, crueler."

"Yep, my…teacher has a similar view." Said Yuuto, causing Issei to look at him. "I'll explain it sometimes later, but long story short, my teacher was a member of Shinsengumi turned into devil. He's proud of his country and culture and was horrified by what Japan had become."

"Now, Issei, have you ever wondered why Kuoh is under the control of the Devils rather than the Shinto Pantheon?" Asked Rias.

"Well, now that you mention it, it is kind of strange." Said Issei as he put his hand on his chin.

"It has something to do with the surrender of Japan." Rias pointed at the photo of the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on board USS _Missouri_. "The Shinto Pantheon, who had become not unlike how Japan was back then, couldn't accept the surrender. Thus, many kami committed seppuku."

"Wait, what?!"

"It's not only kami, but also many Youkai that were leaders of their respective factions. This mass suicide caused the supernatural world of Japan to be thrown into chaos."

The sheer fact that a kami committed suicide was enough to make the young devil shocked, let alone a lot of them and added by the Youkai. Issei knew that in Shinto, "kami" was more like "spirit" rather than "god." But still…

"Wait, what about…"

"If you ask about Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo, they are still alive, though not exactly in the best condition. With the Japanese people becoming better people compared to how they were during the Second World War, the three of them became sick and disgusted by war crimes committed by Japan and how they once supported such a cause. Up to this day, they're seldom even being seen." Explained Akeno.

"Anyway, the reason on how the Devils have Kuoh as part of our territory is due to a treaty between us and the Shinto Pantheon. In exchange for land and some artifacts, the Devils would help the Shinto Pantheon in restoring order in the chaotic supernatural world of Japan. The Shinto also made the same deal with the Fallen Angels, Angels, Roman Pantheon, and the House of Life." Explained Rias.

"Umm, what is the House of Life?" Asked Asia.

"The House of Life is part of the Egyptian Pantheon. But due to their…unique situation, they actually only have one god who…is available; Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom, magic, and writing."

On the board, Akeno had changed the previous papers with several new ones. Among them were paper with a symbol created by the combination of hieroglyphs _Per_ (a rectangle with a small hole at the bottom side) and _Ankh_ (a cross with the upper part replaced with seed-like shape), meaning "House of Life" and a photo of a man with brown curly hair, wire-rimmed glasses, jeans and a lab coat.

"I am guessing the man in the photo is Thoth?" Said Issei as he pointed at the photo.

"Correct, Issei. Thoth is one of the only two Egyptian gods that the Devils have ever met. Since he's the founder of the House of Life, it's natural that him and the Four Great Satans will have a meeting at the very least once." Said Rias.

"Who's the other one?" Asked Asia.

"Anubis, the Egyptian god of death and funerals." Akeno pointed at a photo of a teenager with a pale complexion, tousled black hair, and warm, melting brown eyes wearing black jeans, combat boots, a ripped T-shirt, a gold chain, and a black leather biker jacket.

Issei's eye twitched at yet _another_ handsome boy.

"Admittedly, there was only one 'meeting' and it was about a young devil looking for direction and asking the closest guy that she found in a graveyard." Added Akeno.

"Now, Issei. The House of Life is an international organization and thus we might encounter them no matter where we go. As long as we're on Earth, of course. We're not at war with them, but clash between magicians of the House and the Devils is not unheard of, so be prepared." Stated Rias.

"Gotcha!" Said Issei as he nodded his head before remembering something. "Wait, why the Devils only ever met Thoth…and Anubis, I guess?"

"I…don't know." After saying that, Rias' face became red due to embarrassment. "I am not interested in Egyptian culture, so I don't pay much attention to the House of Life. I only know the basic."

Akeno laughed at the statement, causing Rias to looked away from her Queen. She coughed a little before continuing her explanation.

"Alright, the last – but definitely not the least – is the Greco-Roman Pantheon." Said Rias. "It is one of, if not _the_ , most important Pantheon in existence, probably rivaling the importance of the Three Factions. It is known as the Heart of the Western Civilization."

"The Heart of Western Civilization?" Said Issei. "Just how important is the Greco-Roman Pantheon?"

"Should the Greco-Roman Pantheon be overthrown from its position, then human civilization would unravel at the seams, degenerating into chaos."

Issei raised his eyebrows and looked around the room. Just like the President, Akeno, Yuuto, and Koneko took the matters seriously.

"How…how is that even possible?! Last time I check, nobody is worshipping them anymore." Stated Issei.

"To be honest, no one actually know. As Grayfia once put it, 'One day, they just your usual gods and goddesses. Next thing we know, they suddenly become the source and embodiment of the Western Civilization.'" Said Rias.

"But, if the Greco-Roman Pantheon is the embodiment of the Western Civilization, then why if it falls, the _entire_ human civilization will also fall? If there's a Western Civilization, what about the Eastern Civilization?" Asked Asia.

"It _used_ to be only the Western Civilization. But with the rise of globalization, both the West and the East are now connected more than ever. Which mean if one falls, the other's chance for surviving is not that great." Explained Akeno.

"You have to praise the Olympians for such an ingenuity." Commented Rias.

"Olympians? Oh, do you mean the gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus, President?" Said Issei.

"Correct. The Twelve Olympians, the leaders of the Greco-Roman Pantheon."

On the board, Akeno already put fourteen pictures. Twelve of them made a U-shape while the last two were at the bottom.

"The Olympians have both Greek and Roman names. The Greek; Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, and Dionysus. The Roman; Jupiter, Juno, Neptune, Ceres, Mars, Minerva, Apollo, Diana, Vulcan, Venus, Mercury, and Bacchus." Explained Rias.

"There are also two deities that while not part of the Olympians, are no less important; Hades, also known as Pluto, and Hestia, also known as Vesta." Added Akeno.

"Hestia?" Said Issei confused.

"Something wrong, Issei?" Asked Rias.

"Well, the Twelve Olympians plus Hades have names that I am familiar with thanks to games and movies. But this is the first time I heard about Hestia and Vesta."

"Makes sense. Hestia prefers to spend her time behind the scene, to put it simple. However, she's perhaps the most important goddess due to two reasons; she received a portion of every sacrifice for other gods and insulting her is a good way to receive the fury of the Olympians. Like when they declared open season for smiting on a city that refused to take care of Hestia's temple." Said Rias.

"There was actually a city dare to do that?" Stated Yuuto with his eyes became wide.

"Yuuto, being too dumb to live is almost a theme in Classical Mythology." Said Rias. "Anyway, it's unlikely that we will encounter the Olympians or their demigod children since they spend most of their times on the United States. But if we do though, remember; _never_ claim to be better than the Olympians and be careful with your word and behavior so that you don't accidentally insult them."

"Yes, President." Said by not only Issei, but also the rest of the peerage.

"Good. Now, I believe it's time to continue our training."

With that, the peerage of Rias Gremory exited the room and headed towards the field that they used as training ground.

* * *

 **Several weeks later…**

 **Occult Research Club Room, Kuoh Academy**

Currently sitting on the sofa, Rias listened as Grayfia gave her the latest news that might be important. One of them was about the disappearance of the head of the Zepar Clan, one of the 72 Pillars.

"If I am not wrong, Lord Zepar doesn't have any heir, right?" Said Rias worriedly.

"No. And with the lack of close sibling, if we don't find him sooner, we might have to listed the Zepar Clan as another extinct Pillar." Replied Grayfia as she let out a sigh.

Rias knew just how…problematic that would be. The Devils had already lost 39 out of 72 Pillars. Each Pillar had their own secret knowledge and with the loss of a Pillar, so does the knowledge that has been kept a secret.

"Any idea what happened to Lord Zepar?" Asked Rias.

"Not at the moment. However, he left a note that he and his peerage would be cruising across the Caribbean." Said Grayfia.

"The Caribbean…that's close to the Bermuda Triangle, right? The Sea of Monsters?"

"Indeed. However, since the cruise ship that they supposedly boarded is still floating, it's doubtful that the Sea was the cause of their disappearance."

"You're right. If it's because of the Sea of Monsters, then the ship will also disappear."

Both women took a moment to rest for a while and drank the tea that had been prepared earlier. As she drank her tea, Rias realized that there was something that she forgot to ask.

"The ship where Lord Zepar and his peerage disappeared, has it been investigated?" Asked Rias.

"No, it hasn't. For some reason, we're unable to track where the ship current location is." Answered Grayfia as she put down her cup. "We know that the ship is still floating because we found her name in a record of a port at Florida. When we inspected the date of when the ship was anchored, it was several days after Lord Zepar's cruising supposedly ended."

"I see. That's suspicious." Rias put her hand on her chin. "So, what's the name of the cruise ship?"

"The name of the ship is the _Princess Andromeda_."

* * *

 **Answer to some reviews:**

 **the Composcreator:** Well, I can say that a fight between Ddraig or Albion against a Greek God will be a fight that will be remembered for millennia.

 **Brave2000:** Just wait and see 😉

 **Toaneo07 Ver2.0:** Actually, not only Typhon and Hades, none of the Twelve Olympians is part of the Top 10 Strongest Beings in the World. In fact, the correct name for the list is "Top 10 Strongest Beings in the World That isn't a Greek Deity."

Descendant for heroes is possible in Riordanverse. There's a term "Legacy" for descendants of demigods.

For Sacred Gear, well, let's just say Zeus and Athena already take care of that little problem. Plus, up to modern times, no one has ever managed to gain power to defeat even DxD-verse god, let alone Riordanverse god.

 **redcomodo:** It's the Riordanverse Hades. However, like his DxD counterpart, Hades hates the Devils and Fallen Angels. They always caused him a lot of paperwork, especially with how the Evil Pieces can revive someone who's only recently dead 😊

* * *

 **And with that this chapter is done.**

 **If you have question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.**

 **Review please!**


	4. Just Take It, Will You?

**Just Take It, Will You?**

 **Classified Location**

Inside a room, a security guard was watching closely at the monitors in front of him. His attention was briefly interrupted when a colleague patted his shoulder so that he could offer the guard a cup of coffee. The cup was accepted and the guard continued looking at the monitors.

From the monitors, the guard could observe various parts of the building; from the courtyard, lobby, kitchen, to the vault room. The CCTVs were positioned in such a way that the blind spots of the cameras couldn't hide even a child.

Camera was not the only thing used the guard the building. There were sensors all over the building, detecting anything that could be detected; heat, light, movement, magical energy, and more.

Furthermore, the place was littered with the best exorcists that the Church could afford to stationed. All of them have gone through at least one life-and-death situation. As in, situation where they were very close of dying.

And let's not get started on the magic…whoops, "spiritual" defense that the Church put on the place (magic is only done by Devils, pagans, and heretics).

All in all, alongside the fact that the location was classified, it would be extremely difficult to steal the special object that was stored in this place.

The security guard, who was looking at the monitors intensely, turned his eyes away from them when he heard a sound of something – or rather someone – crashed into the ground. He saw that the sound was created by a security guard who was lying on the floor. He stood up and was about to approached his colleague when he suddenly fell into the floor as well.

With the rest of the people in the room followed their two colleagues, nobody was watching the monitors. It was soon followed by the exorcists who fell into the ground as well. All of them, no exception.

Shortly thereafter, someone entered the room and begin to enacted his plan.

* * *

 **The Vatican**

"Wait, wait, hold on! What?!"

In one of the many halls of the Vatican, Xenovia raised her hands after hearing the latest news regarding a certain Holy Sword that Griselda had just told her.

Namely, the fact that three Excalibur fragments – Rapidly, Nightmare, and Transparency – have been stolen from the places where they were stored.

"Like I said, Excalibur Rapidly, Nightmare, and Transparency have been stolen." Said Griselda.

"I…I see." Said Xenovia. "How many that we lost?"

"Surprisingly, there are only 5 deaths and 3 wounded. Those eight people became casualties because they were at the stairs when some sort of sleeping spell caused everyone in the places to fall asleep."

Xenovia grimaced when she heard that. Despite all of their skills and experience, five of the exorcists stationed were dead because of falling from a stair. Granted, it was because of a sleeping spell rather than a mere accident. But still…

"Hello, Earth to Xenovia." Said Griselda as she waved her hand in front of her student's face.

"Huh? Oh, sorry." Replied Xenovia with a little blush on her face. "What is it, Griselda?"

"Do you remember when it is deemed appropriate to use Excalibur?"

Xenovia's face turned serious upon hearing that. Considering that they were talking about the stolen Excalibur, the blue-haired exorcist knew what Griselda meant by her words.

"One of the time Excalibur is used is when it's to retrieve a Holy Sword that has been stolen, including another Excalibur." Said Xenovia.

"Indeed. And as the wielder of Excalibur Destruction, you will be send to retrieve the tree stolen Excaliburs alongside the wielder of Excalibur Mimic." Stated Griselda.

"What about the wielder of Excalibur Blessing?"

"Unfortunately, he's currently in a mission that require radio silence. The Church is trying to retrieve him, but it's very likely that the mission will be done before he comes back."

Xenovia frowned upon hearing that. At the moment, Excalibur Destruction was possessed by the Catholic Church, Excalibur Mimic was possessed by the Church of England, and Excalibur Blessing was possessed by the Eastern Orthodox Church. While working together for the betterment of mankind under God's blessing, there were still rivalries between different denominations. As such, there was a possibility that the Eastern Orthodox Church simply didn't want to risk their Holy Sword.

The exorcist shook her head and tried to stop thinking about it. Politic was not her forte and she had better things to think about.

"So, when do I leave?" Asked her.

"If things go smoothly, then you will go to Paris and meet up with the wielder of Excalibur Mimic in a week. When both of you will be send depends on how long it will take for our intelligence wing to discover the location of the stolen swords." Explained Griselda.

"I see. So, I have at least a week to train myself with Excalibur Destruction. Though I am more experienced with Durandal, so perhaps…"

"Usually, I will agree with that plan. However, being a natural wielder of Durandal is not as…eye-catching as being an artificial wielder of Excalibur. As such, keep the sword as your ace-in-the-hole and only reveal it when the situation is dire."

"Understood."

* * *

 **A week and a half later…**

 **Paris, France**

The day had finally arrived.

For more than a week, Xenovia and Irina have been waiting for the information about the stolen Excaliburs. Turned out, they were currently at the hands of Kokabiel, the Fallen Angel of the Stars. He had set up a base at a town called Kuoh in Japan, which was surprising since the town was a territory of Gremory-Sitri of the Devils.

There was speculation that the Devils were working with the Fallen Angels to deprived the Church of its valuable artifacts. However, this was quite unlikely since Kokabiel was very well-known to hate anything not fallen angel. Still, there was nothing wrong with being cautious.

On another matter, the Archbishop of Genocide, Valper Galilei, has been spotted to be talking with Kokabiel. It took no genius to figured out that he was working for the fallen angel. Made sense since he was an expert in holy sword.

With the information acquired, both Excalibur wielders can now be send to retrieve the swords.

Inside the office of the person assigned to administered the base in Paris, Xenovia and Irinia stood in front of him as said person was about to give them a briefing.

Before he could open his mouth, someone knocked the door. After the permission was given, the knocker entered the room, who was revealed to be Antoinette Pétain.

"You!" Exclaimed Xenovia.

"What are you doing here?" Asked Irina sternly.

"I am here to join your quest." Replied Pétain simply. She turned her attention to the only male in the room. "They haven't been told yet?"

"I was about to tell them that when you enter the room, cousin." Said the priest.

"Wait, cousin?" Irina turned her attention to him. "You're a demigod, Father Andrew?"

"Yes, I am a son of Mercury." Upon hearing that, Xenovia and Irina's hands immediately went to their pockets, causing Andrew to rolled his eyes. "Anyway, just as she said, Centurion Pétain will assist us in retrieving the stolen Excaliburs."

"Hold on for a second! Father Andrew, we have no need for a help from a Pagan!" Exclaimed Xenovia.

"That's right! We have Excalibur and blessing from the Lord!" Added Irina.

"Last time I check, an Excalibur wielder being killed is not unheard of." Stated Pétain with a deadpanned tone.

"Centurion Pétain is right. For Kokabiel, both of you are only slightly more bothersome than ants. Seriously, if it's up to me, I would have send Vasco Strada and Dulio Gesualdo." Said Father Andrew in support of his cousin.

While the priest's comment hurt Xenovia and Irina, they couldn't help but agree with the statement. They were basically amateurs as wielders of Excalibur and should've spend at least several more month training with the sword before being send to a mission as dangerous as this. Though they then realized something.

"If that's the case, then why the mission is given to us, not them?" Asked Irina.

"Like I said, if it's up to me. I don't know what's up with the heads of the higher-ups." Answered Father Andrew before looking at Pétain.

"I haven't figured it out myself." Replied the daughter of Mars.

"So, Centurion Pétain joins us because we're amateurs?" Said Xenovia.

"Not really. She joins you because both of you are all brawn and no brain."

"Hey!" Exclaimed both exorcists.

"Your reputations speak for themselves." Father Andrew focused his eyes on Xenovia. "Ms. Quarta, you're known to have a lot of strength but little in terms of tactic. I have a note warning about that from your very own mentor and some of your colleagues called you 'Power Idiot.'"

Xenovia wanted to retort but then she remembered about that time with the hellhound. She missed the monster and hurt her partners instead. She also lost count on how many times Griselda told her to use her brain.

Father Andrew then did the same thing to Irina. He said, "As for you, Ms. Shidou, you are very easy to be fooled. Remember that time when you spent £3,000 on some stupid figurine?"

"That's a small statue of St. Patrick!" Retorted the twin-tailed exorcist.

"Oh, please. There's a sentence 'Made in China' under it! And a statue of that size – no matter how good it is – won't cost more than 800!"

As both exorcists being scolded by Father Andrew, Pétain could do nothing but simply facepalmed when she heard what her cousin had just said.

" _So 'two idiots' literally means two idiots. Then again, I should expect nothing but straightforwardness from father._ " Thought Pétain.

"Now, with that out of mind, it's time for the briefing to _finally_ started." Said the son of Mercury.

* * *

 **Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport** **, France**

Inside their transportation, the three people sent to retrieve the stolen Excaliburs sat calmly as they waited for the airplane to take-off. The pilot and co-pilot were currently having a conversation with the ATC to gain the permission.

The airplane that they used were not unlike private jet used by the rich businessman often depicted in the media; a small-sized aircraft with two engines at the rear, roomy cabin, etc. Thanks to being a private jet, that means the three of them could have conversation about their mission without any worry. No worry about the pilot and co-pilot as well since they were affiliated with the Church and the Olympus respectively.

Well, there was some worry that both of them would rather fight with each other than properly flying the plane, but so far, they were talking to each other as if they were old colleagues.

Several minutes later, the permission was finally given and the plane started the procedure to take-off. Two minutes later, the plane was now in the sky.

A sky that was dark because of the black cloud. Then, it started to rain and if you listen closely, you could hear a thunder in a distance.

"I…Is this alright? Isn't flying like this dangerous?" Asked Irina worriedly.

"We're perfectly safe. A very good offering was made to Jupiter. I already called the Camp to do it." Said Pétain. "Oh, and I am pretty sure that Father Andrew is praying for our safety, alongside others."

"Well, if this is the best that Jupiter can do, maybe he should consider looking for another job." Said Xenovia, irritated about the fact that someone who assist them in retrieving the Church's Holy Swords asked for a blessing from a Pagan God.

Suddenly, a lightning occurred near the jet and almost hit them. From the voices coming from the cockpit, it was clear that the lightning still did something to the jet.

"Why can't you learn to keep your fat mouth shut?!" Exclaimed Pétain. This was not the first time Xenovia made less-than-stellar comments about the Greeks.

"S-She's right, Xenovia." Said the trembling Irina before the blue-haired exorcist could talk back. "While I don't like it either, I prefer not angering a being that could control lightning and bring us down."

There was another lightning. While this one was nowhere close to the plane, it was still close enough to make a very loud thunder. The brown-haired exorcist let out a small whimper and crossed her heart.

At least Jupiter didn't take offense on that, indicated by the fact that there was no more lightning.

* * *

 **Several hours later…**

 **Narita International Airport, Japan**

When they finally landed, Irina, Xenovia, and Pétain immediately went towards the terminal and began to look around for their guide. It wasn't hard since there was a lady in business suit carrying a sign "Church Ravenna." The trio walked towards her, who saw them approaching herself.

"Good evening. I take it that the three of you are Xenovia Quarta, Irina Shidou, and Antoinette Pétain?" Asked the woman.

"Yes, that's who we are." Replied Xenovia.

"I see. You can call me Misaki." The woman then made a shocked face. "Oh, dear me, I almost forgot. Welcome to Japan."

The woman, Misaki, then escorted them through the airport towards a car. It looked like a small black limousine. Misaki opened the door and gestured them to go inside. After the three of them went inside, she closed the door before opening another door and sat beside the driver.

As they rode away from the airport, Irina seemed to be checking around the car enthusiastically. Pétain, who noticed and had nothing better to do, asked her.

"First time?" Asked the centurion.

"Y-Yeah. Usually, we used a more…economical means of transportation." Answered the exorcist. "Nothing as comfy or fabulous as this."

"This is the first time for me as well." Hearing that made Irinia looked at Pétain. "The other two times when I was on a quest, one time I went from one taxi to another. Another time I and two of my siblings used a FedEx delivery truck."

"Heh. So, not that much different from us, huh."

For the rest of the journey, Irina and Pétain talked about small stuffs like some of their past missions, hobbies, and others as Xenovia remained silence and content to simply watch the view.

* * *

 **Several hours later…**

 **Tokyo, Japan**

By the time the car arrived in front of the hotel, it was already night. Misaki disembarked from the car first before opening the door for the three fighters at the back of the car. After all of them out of the car, they went towards the receptionist as the car drove away.

When they entered the hotel, the group saw two receptionists – a male and a female – and went towards them. Behind the receptionists was a traditional Japanese painting of Amaterasu, the Shinto Goddess of the Sun. However, a "closer" look will reveal otherwise.

When Xenovia focused her eyes on the painting, she realized that it was covered by the Mist. She decided to look more intensely to bypass it. She managed to do so and found out what the painting actually was; it was a painting of a figure wearing a unique crown and a sun behind him. The exorcist recognized the figure in the painting; Sol Invictus, official sun god of the later the later Roman Empire and a patron of soldiers.

Xenovia admitted that it was a good symbolism on how the painting of Sol Invictus was hidden; the Youkai that helped them looked Japanese on the outside but inside they were Romans.

* * *

After Xenovia locked the room, she turned attention to inspect the room itself. It was nice, nothing too fancy. Two beds, a television, a wardrobe, and a table with a complete set of things necessary to make a tea or coffee. She then opened a door and saw that it led to a bathroom. No bathtub, only a shower.

All in all, it was a simple but comfortable room.

"So, anyone want to review about our next steps?" Suggested Pétain, who received a nod from both exorcists.

"Alright. So, after gaining enough rest and recovering from the jetlag, we will go to the Town of Kuoh, asked Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri for permission to investigate their territory, and recover the stolen Excaliburs." Said Xenovia.

"Right. And remember what Father Andrew said, don't…"

"Don't start a fight with the Devils. Yes, we remember." Interrupted Irina before the demigod could finished her sentence. "You know, something comes to my mind. Why don't we ask help from the…vassalized Youkai factions?"

"Irina!" Exclaimed Xenovia, not wanting more involvement of Pagans.

"We cannot. Gremory and Sitri won't accept a force of 80 _auxilia_ roaming their territory. It's up to the three of us." Stated Pétain.

"But don't you agree with Father Andrew that the three of us aren't enough to deal with Kokabiel?" Asked Irina as she tilted her head.

"Yes. Thing is, we don't have to fight Kokabiel. We only need to infil…" Pétain stopped talking when she realized who she was speaking with. "…right. It won't work."

"H-Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Xenovia said that with a blush on her face, which she was share with Irina.

"She means that none of you are good at infiltrating."

When they heard a voice that didn't belong to either them or the demigod, Xenovia and Irina quickly drew their Excalibur and confronted the man who somehow managed to get inside the room without their notice. He was a tough-looking guy with flat-top haircut and night-vision goggles wearing a military uniform. The stern expression on his face indicated that he had a business to take care of.

"Who are you? Identify yourself!" Stated Xenovia as she tightened her grip on Excalibur Destruction.

"The moment an unknown individual entered your room, you draw your sword and rather than attacking, you demand his identity first." Said the mysterious man. "You're smarter than what I thought."

"Stand down, Quarta, Shidou. He's not a threat." Said Pétain as she drew her hand to stop both exorcists from coming closer to the man. "Can I help you, father?"

"Can a father visit his daughter?" Asked the man as he raised an eyebrow.

"You have a much better thing to do than looking after me, father. Besides, you already visited me back at the camp."

"Wait, father?" Said Xenovia suddenly before she pointed at the man. "Are you Mars?"

The mysterious man, Mars, simply nodded his head before directing his attention towards his daughter.

"Visiting you is simply something I decided to do since I have other businesses in Japan." Stated the God of War.

"May I know your other businesses, father?" Asked Pétain curiously.

"Just checking on our vassals and seeing their training."

"I see. If you don't mind, is that paper contains all of the prophecy or is it simply contains the parts that have been solved?"

"All of them."

"Wait, wait, hold on." Said Irina as she raised both of her hands, gaining attention of everyone in the room. "What prophecy?"

"A prophecy about our mission." Answered Pétain.

"And you didn't tell us?" Stated Xenovia suspiciously.

"Will you even believe a Pagan prophecy, as you will obviously put it?" Pétain's question was laced with sarcasm.

Xenovia realized that and decided to not pushing further, merely folding her hands under her chest and frowned. Pétain simply rolled her eyes upon seeing it.

"What's the prophecy?"

"What?" Pétain turned her head to look at Irina, who asked the question.

"The prophecy. I once watched the Disney cartoon about Classical Mythology. For about the name." Said Irina rather excitedly. "So, I am kind of curious about Greek…err, Roman prophecy."

"Well, if you're interested." Pétain cleared her throat first before reciting the prophecy.

" _Go to Japan._

 _Make sure to keep the two idiot exorcists in line._

 _Retrieve the swords or the war will restart._ "

After Pétain finished the prophecy, Irina's smile started to disappear and Xenovia looked at the centurion as if she has grown a second head.

"That's not a prophecy. That's an order." Stated Irina emotionlessly. "Prophecy should've contain riddle, truth from a certain point of view, you know, those stuffs. What kind of person made an order and call…"

Irina immediately closed her mouth when she noticed that Mars casually pulled out a grenade. She then tried to salvage the situation.

"…on the other hand, the quest without any riddle means that there's very little chance of things go wrong because of misinterpretation. So, all in all, it's actually a good thing!" Declared Irina with her best (fake) smile.

Mars put back the grenade, which caused Irina to be relieved. As this happening, Xenovia pondered about the prophecy. She became shocked before looking at both Pétain and Mars in anger.

"The 'two idiot exorcists' are Irina and I, isn't it?" Asked Xenovia, almost screaming.

"Do you already forget about your record?" Stated Pétain as she raised an eyebrow.

They were about to retort, but a glare from Mars shut the mouths of both Irina and Xenovia. Several moments later, Mars nodded his head and suddenly disappear. No sound or light effect accompanying it; no bright light or the sound "pop" like in the movie.

After the God of War was gone, Xenovia let out a sigh and took a towel before walking towards the bathroom. For a mission to recover Christian Holy Swords, there were too much Pagan involvement for her liking.

This mission better not taking a long time to complete.

* * *

 **Answers to some reviews:**

 **Wacko12:** Maybe.

 **the Composcreator:** Entities like Ophis, Great Red, and 666 are kind of like Protogenoi. As for Samael, he's currently imprisoned in Tartarus.

Excalibur and Durandal are part of Christianity. No relation with other faction or pantheon.

Rossweisse is currently at Hotel Valhalla.

Don't worry. Issei's relationship with his girls will be not that much different that in canon.

 **luisfilipe032:** Thanks 😊

 **Toaneo07 Ver2.0:** Well, what do you expect? Riordan writes the gods in his stories stronger than how Ishibumi writes them.

 **Guest:** Yes, he will.

 **CRUDEN:** Huh, funny you mention that. Later chapter will discuss about an…incident between the Devils and the Olympians.

Well, Kronos doesn't like other factions and pantheons to put it simple. If he succeeds in dethroning the Olympians, things won't be good for them. Also, no, the Devils won't send any help to the half-bloods.

The Norse Gods are more like their Riordan version. I like things like how Odin stood in line for six days in a blizzard to get a smartphone, Thor once challenged Jesus to a fight (Jesus never showed up), Heimdall taking selfies with just about anyone or anything in the entire universe as it strikes his fancy, etc.

 **HeavenlyDragonGod:** 1\. In this story, no one ever make that list (at least officially). I mean, do you want to offend an Olympian by saying that no, s/he's not one of the 10 strongest beings in the world?

2\. Yes, there's going to be a meeting.

3\. I'll try my best.

* * *

 **And this chapter is done.**

 **If you have question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.**

 **Review please!**


End file.
